Author Birthday: J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling (born July 31, 1965 in Gloucestershire, England), author of the Harry Potter series, was named Time's runner-up for the Person of the Year in 2007. Before the success of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Rowling struggled to make ends meet as a single parent on welfare. In 2007, she was ranked the 48th Most Powerful Celebrity by Forbes magazine. In addition to the Harry Potter series, Rowling is involved in many charities, including One Parent Familes, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britian, Children's High Level Group, and Comic Relief.

Wikipedia Biography on J.K. Rowling

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The Best Biographies You've Never Read

Check out our special section entitled The Best Biographies You've Never Read located on the New Adult Non-Fiction Shelves on the 2nd floor!

The books featured are CDPL's "lost" biographies and memoirs, books which have been lost among other books in the shelves and never or rarely checked out.

The section includes works about baseball great Babe Ruth, president Ronald Reagan, actor Clark Gable, poet Robert Burns, musician Miles Davis, aviators Charles Lindbergh and Elinor Smith, and much more.

Check out these fascinating biographies which were previously out of sight!

Noteworthy Birthdays: Amelia Earhart & Alexandre Dumas

Renowned aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart (born January 4, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas) disappeared during an attempt to make a global circumnavigational flight in 1937. Earhart was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross after successfully flying solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to flying, Earhart published books, wrote newspaper articles, promoted her own lines of luggage and fashion, and became an advisor at Purdue University.

Wikipedia Biography on Amelia Earhart

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French author Alexandre Dumas (born July 24, 1802,died December 5, 1870 in Villers-Cotterets, France) contributed works of fiction, non-fiction, drama, travel writing, and an encyclopedia/cookbook. Dumas' works include themes of adventure, politics, culture, and French history. His most famous contributions include The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Christo, Robin Hood, Henri III et Sa Cour (drama), Antony (drama), and Great Dictionary of Cuisine.

Wikipedia Biography on Alexandre Dumas

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Preview Shelf -- Summer Reading at CDPL

The Crawfordsville Library's circulation wall lists titles that patrons have read for this year's Race Into Reading program, and the readers have given the books ratings. They're listed by genres like fiction, history, mystery, humor, biography etc.which might help patrons searching for their own summer reading. Here are newly requested books of fiction. The new A.D. Chronicle "Ninth Witness" by Bodie & Brock Thoene transports readers back in time when in Rome Herod's son reigns while fatherless youngsters journey to Jerusalem for Passover. "Joelle's Secret" by Gilbert Morris is set in the mid-1800s when a 17-year-old escapes her Tennessee river town to join a wagon train to California. Shatter" by Michael Robotham features the hero of his previous book "Suspect" (also available at the library) who now tries to prevent a suicide and finds himself locked in a deadly duel with a very clever killer. "Mounting Fears" by Stuart Woods is a plot involving the President and his wife who happens to be the head of the CIA; a threat from abroad looms. Karen Robards' "Pursuit" also weaves a complex tale of political conspiracy at the highest level of government. "Knit Two" by Kate Jacobs continues with tales about members of the "Friday Night Knitting Club" (also available to borrow) as the patterns of their projects symbolize their various situations. Walter Mosley's "The Long Fall" is his first Leonid McGill mystery about an ex-boxer, hard drinker, old-school P.I. working in 21st century Manhattan, the city behind the city, with mobsters, corrupt cops, compromised bankers, you know the type, from whom McGill needs to learn information for a high-paying client.The two newest books about the big expedition beginning in 1803 are "The Essential Lewis and Clark" edited by Landon Jones, essentially the most important of their journal entries, and "Along the Trail with Lewis and Clark" published by Montana Magazine with historical highlights, colored maps, and advice where to stay and what to do to while visiting that area.The Culinary Institute of America has published a large, colorful manual, "Techniques of Healthy Cooking". "Food Matters" by Mark Bittman, is a guide to conscious eating including 75 special recipes. "Foods to Fight Cancer" comes from Richard Beliveau. "The One-Dish Chicken Cookbook" by Mary Evans offers more variety of recipes than you'd expect (120 from around the world). Animals are popular subjects. Denny Rogers' "The Illustrated Owl - barn, barred & great horned" is an ultimate reference guide for bird lovers, woodcarvers, and artists because it shows the details of feathers and shapes of claws. "Training the Hard-to-Train Dog" by Peggy Swager specializes in effective techniques for working with shy, controlling, and stubborn dogs. Jon Katz' "Izzy & Lenore" is "the story of two dogs, an unexpected journey, and me" delving into his connections with a once-abandoned dog when dealing with the arrival of a new companion. "Raising Dairy Goats" by Jerome Belanger tells about breeds, their care, and the profession of dairying. "Spiders: The Ultimate Predators" by Stephen Dalton, begins with the English rhyme "If you wish to live and thrive/Let the spider run alive". It says "Spiders rarely bite, even if provoked." This book explains and illustrates all the truths and all the mistruths for arachnophobes and "bug lovers".

Sheet Music Collection

Have you ever wanted to find specific pieces of sheet music but not known where to look? Search our new Sheet Music Collection database at CDPL! Including over 1,800 song titles, the Sheet Music Collection encompasses multiple categories, from Hymns, Piano and Organ pieces, and Operas to Popular Twentieth Century and Holiday music. There are also many pieces from early Hollywood films starring legendary stars such as Fred Astaire, Clark Gable, and Bing Crosby. The Sheet Music Collection includes works by many great composers...from Bach to Bacharach!

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Noteworthy Birthday: James Cagney

American screen legend James Cagney (born July 17, 1899 in New York City, died March 30, 1986 in New York) was rated the 8th Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute in 1999. Although best remembered for his roles in gangster films, Cagney also starred in comedies and musicals. A 1942 Academy Award Best Actor Winner, James Cagney's films include The Public Enemy (1931), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Strawberry Blonde (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), White Heat (1949) and Mister Roberts (1955).

Wikipedia Biography on James Cagney

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Noteworthy Birthday: Rembrandt

Dutch painter and etcher Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn(born July 15, 1606 in the Netherlands, died October 4, 1669 in Amsterdam) is considered one of the greatest artists in European history. He is best known for his self-portraits, portraits, and Bible-influenced scenes. Rembrandt's most renowned works of art include:

Artemis

Belshassar's FeastSelf Portrait

Wikipedia Biography on Rembrandt

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The Gift of Gourds: By Patty Blacker, Verona Clark, Carolyn Rushton, and Merle Teel

The gourds shown in this exhibit are Indiana grown and have been crafted by different artists, all of whom belong to the Indiana Gourd Society which has been in existence for the past seventeen years. Each spring the IGS presents an exhibit giving members an opportunity to display their work and share their knowledge and growing and crafting skills with others. The Indiana Gourd Society meets twice a year in locations throughout the state. In addition to statewide meetings, smaller groups, called "gourd patches" meet regularly to create projects at the local level. Gourd Patch 4 consists of members from Tippecanoe, Montgomery, Benton, Parke and Clinton Counties. Regardless of their county of origin, anyone is welcome at any gourd patch meeting. Those who have provided gourds for this exhibit include:

Patty Blacker, who comes to us from Clarks Hill, has been crafting gourds grown by her husband Wayne, for the past eight years and using a number of different techniques. She also teaches cake decorating at the Crawfordsville Public Library.

West Lafayette "gourder," Verona Clark has been growing gourds for the past 25 years and enjoys making undecorated gourd birdhouses. She is the chairperson of Gourd Patch Group 4 and is available to answer questions regarding growing gourds in the area and preparing them for crafting.

One of the founding members of the Indiana Gourd Society, Carolyn Rushton, has been painting and using other mediums to decorate gourds for the past seventeen years. Her favorite medium is pyrography, commonly known as wood burning, done with a very advanced wood burning tool called a Detail Master. Carolyn's work has been published in eight books. Pieces of her work are in collections throughout the world.

Our unique "gourder," Merle Teel, has been growing gourds and making musical instruments with them for the past twelve years. During this time he has also used his instruments to provide entertainment at the Purdue Springfest and at many other gatherings throughout the state.

Do come and enjoy this simple and unique display that may be grown in the backyard of anyone's good earth!

In the Gallery -- July 2009

Fledgling becomes Masterful: The Photography of Shannon Klepfer

"Photography is my love," artist Shannon Klepfer states. "I could not imagine my life without it, nor do I ever want to imagine my life without it." In 1983, Waynetown, Indiana was gifted with a precious child born second in her family. Her mother remembers, not so happily, her special talent for drawing pictures on her bedroom walls whenever the opportunity presented itself. Even when the crayons were hidden in a special place, Shannon continued drawing on the walls. "Where on earth were these crayons coming from?” her mother wondered. The mystery persisted until one day as her mother passed her daughter's room, she noticed Shannon pulling colorful crayons from beneath her mattress! Aha, at last the mystery was solved. It appeared Shannon's passion for drawing far exceeded her need to obey her mother! As a youngster, Shannon's parents often took her to art museums where she always wanted to take home various paintings and pieces of art. That was when her parents knew art would become a very large part of her life. At the age of five, Shannon got her first "real" Barbie camera, which she carried everywhere capturing objects that felt interesting. She still remembers that little pink camera with "Barbie" stamped across the top. One day Shannon became curious about what would happen if she set off the flash right before her eye.She definitely found out, when she saw only purple for the next thirty minutes. She never told her mom for fear the camera would be taken away! At Southmont High School she took as many photography classes as possible and began researching photographers and their work, looking for inspiration in becoming a professional photographer. During lunch hour and after school, she could always be found in the darkroom making multiple images with an enlarger. The day she succeeded in photo manipulation was the day she wanted to manipulate all her images to more accurately represent what was in her imagination. During this time, she entered several art contests and regularly won. Just before high school graduation she bought her first enlarger. She kept it in her bedroom closet and washed her prints in the bathtub which didn't impress family members at all.

In 2001, Shannon started Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana. She took drawing classes, art history, and of course, photography. She spent every moment possible in the photo lab. She enjoyed being at Herron, but felt something was missing. She felt the need to experience more of the world. In May 2003, she was accepted at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California. The school of her dreams turned out to be an intense year-round educational facility with only a one week break between semesters. While on break, assignments were still expected to be completed. She worked diligently to learn the skills necessary to make her photographs as close to her visualizations as possible. Shannon studied under Nino Rakichevich, a renowned fashion and celebrity photographer. Once she took some of these classes Shannon realized how much she loved fashion photography because of its endless possibilities. She then married fashion photography with her love of fine art to create her own version of fashion photography. While attending Brooks, Shannon had her first solo art exhibit at the Wild Cat Lounge in Santa Barbara, California. Today, Shannon lives and works on the beach in Wilmington, North Carolina where she owns and operates her own photography business. This fledgling has definitely become masterful!

Author Birthday: Dalai Lama

The 14th Dalai Lama and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Tenzin Gyatso (born July 6, 1935 in Qinghai) is the spiritual Buddhist leader in Tibet and a noted public speaker. He became the spiritual leader in 1950, at the age of 15, and has been a prominent voice for the past five decades. The Dalai Lama has written many books, including his autobiography Freedom in Exile and The Art of Happiness.

Wikipedia Biography on the Dalai Lama

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Author Birthday: Neil Simon

American playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon (born July 4, 1927 in New York City, NY) began his successful career with his 1961 Broadway debut, Come Blow Your Horn. Simon is the recipient of multiple Tony awards as well as the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His most famous plays (which he later produced as Oscar-nominated films) include Sweet Charity, The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park, and The Goodbye Girl.

Wikipedia Biography on Neil Simon

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Noteworthy Birthday: Princess Diana

Diana, Princess of Wales (nee Spencer, born July 1, 1961, died August 31, 1997) was the first wife of Prince Charles and mother to Princes William and Henry. After a royal wedding on July 29, 1981 which was viewed by more than 750 million, Princess Diana became a popular public figure. Her legacy includes charity work, raising AIDS awareness, and campaigning against the dangers of landmines.



Wikipedia Biography of Princess Diana

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